re: cat weights-
A lot of the vets I've worked with have not brought up cat weights until they are very much obese because a lot of owners are like "my cat isn't fat he's big boned!" so they don't bother much beyond "Please don't let him/her gain more weight than this"
I did say "average" which is not the same as "all". These weights are from 10 years at a cat only hospital and nearly 10 years at a shelter.
Yes, being overweight is actually quite bad for cats resulting in early arthritis and significantly increasing their risks of diabetes.
13 pounds as a healthy weight is quite a large cat. 17 pounds, 90% chance the domestic cat is overweight. Outliers are not part of the average. Your cat is size georg adn will not be counted.
And to show that an overweight cat can be overweight without being a full on sphere
Mallorn, before I put him on a diet. How many people would honestly be able to say this cat was actually overweight and needed to lose 4 pounds? Not many.
And to show how hard weight gain and loss can be to determine on a long haired cat
13 pounds Tumbleweed
~ 11 pound tumbleweed.
His initial weight gain was 30% of his ideal (10#). 11 pounds is a 15% total loss from 13 pounds, and 20% of his ideal weight.
Those are significant amounts. Imagine gaining 30% of your current body weight. Imagine losing 15% of your current body weight.
You can't tell just by looking.
There should be a waist when the hair is smoothed down. You should be able to feel ribs with barely any pressure with your hands flat against the sides.
